Bomb threat at government building in downtown KC

Bomb threat at government building in downtown KC

September 14th, 2012 in News

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH

Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Authorities used a remote-control robot to scan the contents of a suspicious vehicle near downtown Kansas City government office buildings Friday after a man walked into one of them and said he was a terrorist, police said.

The man was taken into custody and officers sent a bomb-sniffing dog to the man's vehicle, which had been parked in a spot near the Fletcher Daniels State Office building and the towering Richard Bolling Federal Building.

The dog detected some sort of explosive in the car. Police later used a remote-control robot to probe the car, and television helicopters showed the robot opening the trunk and pulling out what appeared to be a green tarp and a spare tire.

"I do know we will take our time because we want to do it correctly and make sure everyone is safe," police Sgt. Marisa Barnes said.

It wasn't clear which office building the man had entered around noon Friday.

Government workers began streaming out of the buildings around 3 p.m. Many said they had been sent home early as police continued their investigation.

"It was kind of tense, but we weren't scared," said Jennifer Smith, a benefit authorizer for the Social Security Agency on the federal building's 16th floor.

Smith said many government workers spent much of the afternoon looking online for reports about the incident.

FBI officials have refused to comment on the case, except to say that agents were assisting Kansas City police.